Ellen DeGeneres may not be done with television just yet.
The former daytime talk show host, who stepped away from the spotlight after the end of The Ellen DeGeneres Show in May 2022, is now hinting at a potential return – and she might just be planning it from across the pond.
DeGeneres, 67, made her first public appearance in the U.K. on Sunday, July 20, during a conversation with British broadcaster Richard Bacon at an event in Cheltenham. It marked a rare public outing for the Emmy-winning comedian, who has largely kept a low profile since moving to England with her wife, actress Portia de Rossi, in late 2023.
Speaking candidly about her life, career, and future aspirations, DeGeneres admitted that she misses being on television.
“I want to have fun, I want to do something,” she said, according to BBC coverage of the event. “I do like my chickens, but I’m a little bit bored.”
DeGeneres also spoke openly about the challenges that followed the public fallout of her talk show, which ended amid allegations of a toxic workplace environment. In 2020, a BuzzFeed News exposé detailed claims from former employees that painted a far less cheerful picture than the show’s upbeat public image. The scandal overshadowed the final seasons of the long-running show and significantly impacted DeGeneres’ public perception.
Earlier this year, she addressed the controversy head-on in her Netflix stand-up special, Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval. In the special, she poked fun at herself and joked about being “kicked out of show business” for being “mean,” but also acknowledged the emotional toll the backlash had taken.
“I’m making jokes about what happened to me, but it was devastating,” she said in the special. “It took a long time for me to want to do anything again.”
Now, two years after leaving daytime television, DeGeneres appears to be exploring a possible return – albeit on her own terms, and perhaps in a new setting.
“I would love to do that again,” she said when asked whether she’d consider hosting a talk show in the U.K. “I would do the same thing here that I did there.”
However, the comedian remains cautious about re-entering the entertainment space, citing the dramatic changes in how people consume media.
“I just feel like people are watching on their phones, or people aren’t really paying attention as much to televisions,” she said. “We’re so inundated with information and entertainment.”
DeGeneres said she’s taking time to consider her next steps “very carefully.”
A New Life in the Cotswolds
The TV icon and de Rossi, 52, quietly relocated from California to the Cotswolds in England in November 2023. Originally planning to split their time between the two countries, the couple ultimately decided to remain in the U.K. full-time – a decision DeGeneres says was motivated, in part, by politics.
When asked whether Donald Trump’s re-election in 2024 influenced their move, DeGeneres responded directly: “Yes.”
She recalled arriving in the U.K. the day before the election, waking up to a flood of texts from friends bearing crying emojis, and deciding on the spot that they would stay.
“We got here the day before the election and woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis,” she said. “And I was like, ‘He got in.’ And we’re like, ‘We’re staying here.’”
The comedian shared that she and de Rossi have embraced the quieter pace of life in the English countryside. Their new rural lifestyle includes chickens, sheep – briefly – and horses that were flown in from the U.S.
“We moved here in November, which was not the ideal time, but I saw snow for the first time in my life,” she said. “Portia flew her horses here, and I have chickens, and we had sheep for about two weeks.”
DeGeneres described her life in England as simpler and more grounded than the high-profile celebrity culture of Los Angeles.
“It’s clean. Everything here is just better — the way animals are treated, people are polite. I just love it here,” she said.
What’s Next for Ellen?
While there are no confirmed plans for a new show just yet, DeGeneres’ comments suggest the spark that fueled her nearly two-decade run on daytime TV hasn’t completely faded. Whether it’s a talk show revival or a new format tailored for digital platforms, fans may not have seen the last of her.
After navigating public scandal, career upheaval, and an international relocation, DeGeneres seems ready to reengage with the creative world – but only if it feels right.
If a comeback is in the works, it may not look like The Ellen DeGeneres Show of old, but rather something more intimate, authentic, and on her own terms.
As for now, she appears content embracing the serenity of the English countryside – with one eye on the future and perhaps one foot inching back toward the studio.